Advice on CashFlow Problem

[carbuncle]

You guys are too extreme ... be careful buying cheap stuff means GMOs, full of pesticide, made of low grade palm oil, made in CHINA

80% food my wife bought is organic food ... Cold storage cheaper than NTUC

Very simple example, you eat Australian Broccoli or you dare to eat Chinese one?? The price differs by a lot ... how about Kampong chicken vs frozen chicken ?? It is crazy to eat frozen food for a long time ... I only did it when I was studying in UK

Beware there is no free lunch in this world - expensive does not mean good, cheap food mostly are no good (unless u grow yourself)

Ya I used to also order from Cold Storage Online until I realised for exact same thing they are 30% more ex than NTUC.... As for organic vs processed debate, aiya I not young anymore already one leg in liao and grew up on trash. Not worth the effort...

[phantom_opera]

Ya I used to also order from Cold Storage Online until I realised for exact same thing they are 30% more ex than NTUC.... As for organic vs processed debate, aiya I not young anymore already one leg in liao and grew up on trash. Not worth the effort...

Do you think MM Lee family eat organic food, kampong chicken, or frozen GMO Food

Even old also must take care, may be you are destined to reach 100y old but due to negligence ... can only live till 80

[phantom_opera]

Extract from TCM bible: The Yellow Emperor Internal Canon

夫上古圣人之教下也，皆谓之虚邪贼风，避之有时，恬淡虚无，真气从之，精神内守，病安从来。是以志闲而少欲，心安而不惧，形劳而不倦，气从以顺，各从其欲，皆得所愿。故美其食 (pay attention to food, eat wisely)，任其服，乐其俗，高下不相慕，其民故曰朴。是以嗜欲不能劳其目，淫邪不能惑其心，愚智贤不肖不惧于物，故合于道。所以能年皆度百岁，而动作不衰者，以其德全不危也。

In the Buddhist Mahayana's Sutra of 无量寿经：末法众生,饮苦食毒 (The future human beings of our age are eating poisonous food)

Indeed, we are eating poisonous food

[carbuncle]

Do you think MM Lee family eat organic food, kampong chicken, or frozen GMO Food

Even old also must take care, may be you are destined to reach 100y old but due to negligence ... can only live till 80

I rather die happy at 70 having enjoy kfc and ice cream man... Than stress over food selection which probably will take out 10yrs from the extra 20yrs anyway... Quality not quantity bro.... Useless to compare with So and so family until Organic truly becomes mainstream pricing as normal necessities.

[chiaberry]

Do you really want to live till 100? From the 80s onwards, all of your body systems are in decline already. You cannot prevent it happening and you have not much of control over it. There is only so much you can achieve by carefully controlling your diet. There are so many external factors in the environment that can undo all the benefits. Even the air you breathe has carcinogens.

[rattydrama]

given the situation now, maybe can sell the private to take profit since the private is quite old.

With the money on hand, go look for EC. Can still have back the lifestyle and maintain some cap appreciation in the long run.

But I am not sure if we need to service the waiting period after private been sold. Can someone advise.

[carbuncle]

Do you really want to live till 100? From the 80s onwards, all of your body systems are in decline already. You cannot prevent it happening and you have not much of control over it. There is only so much you can achieve by carefully controlling your diet. There are so many external factors in the environment that can undo all the benefits. Even the air you breathe has carcinogens.

Agree. MODERATION is key in everything in life. Eat a bit of the good. Eat a bit of the junk. Live happy. Die satisfied and not a ghost hungry for kfc...

[chiaberry]

"Organic" farming has some controversies. Unless you are doing it yourself personally supervising it, you won't know exactly what is happening. For example, the farming methods may be organic, but how "safe" is the ground on which it is produced or the water supply to it? I have a sneaky feeling that the label "organic" is somewhat of a con job. My medical colleague (surgeon) did mention to me she watched a TV programme about organic farming and after that she will not buy organic vegetables after watching it.

[Allthepies]

1) Eat less food 2) Eat less meat 3) Eat more vegetables and fruits.

[phantom_opera]

"Organic" farming has some controversies. Unless you are doing it yourself personally supervising it, you won't know exactly what is happening. For example, the farming methods may be organic, but how "safe" is the ground on which it is produced or the water supply to it? I have a sneaky feeling that the label "organic" is somewhat of a con job. My medical colleague (surgeon) did mention to me she watched a TV programme about organic farming and after that she will not buy organic vegetables after watching it.

Just try organic and non-organic side by side ... see whether you can tell the diff

Put Chinese broccoli and Australian one side by side, cook the same way, try to differentiate them

Try olive oil cooked food and palm oil cooked food side by side ... again try them

Nothing beats your own direct experience

One more thing, many farmers in Taiwan, Cameron Highlands has a separate piece of land to grow vege/fruits for their own consumption only

[Laguna]

Google this :

"Spending only $40 dollars for a weeks worth of groceries"

I believe, there are things I can save and there are not. Food definitely is not something I want to save much.

I use Pansalt, I use good cooking oil, good rice. As I believe, it is better to save on holiday, resturant dinning and other expenses rather than saving on better quality food at home. We cut down on quantity but improve on quality.

[chiaberry]

http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-groc...-on-100-a-week

[chiaberry]

http://www.wisebread.com/how-to-groc...-on-100-a-week

[teddybear]

I would not save on groceries as well. I typically buy deep sea fishes rather than fishes who lives at seaside, esp reared ones. Go seaside see how polluted all those seaside are now and I .

Those processed food and ingredients are all full of MSG, food flavoring, artificial coloring, etc.

Home-cooked meals are definitely much more healthier than eating out.

Google this :

"Spending only $40 dollars for a weeks worth of groceries"

I believe, there are things I can save and there are not. Food definitely is not something I want to save much.

I use Pansalt, I use good cooking oil, good rice. As I believe, it is better to save on holiday, resturant dinning and other expenses rather than saving on better quality food at home. We cut down on quantity but improve on quality.

[buttercarp]

Google this :

"Spending only $40 dollars for a weeks worth of groceries"

I believe, there are things I can save and there are not. Food definitely is not something I want to save much.

I use Pansalt, I use good cooking oil, good rice. As I believe, it is better to save on holiday, resturant dinning and other expenses rather than saving on better quality food at home. We cut down on quantity but improve on quality.

Yeah..... my mother always told me not to buy food that is on offer.
She said clothes, toiletries, bags etc can wait for offer but food better don't.

[Laguna]

I would not save on groceries as well. I typically buy deep sea fishes rather than fishes who lives at seaside, esp reared ones. Go seaside see how polluted all those seaside are now and I .

Those processed food and ingredients are all full of MSG, food flavoring, artificial coloring, etc.

Home-cooked meals are definitely much more healthier than eating out.

We are better then, we only eat deep sea fish caught by ourselves.

[phantom_opera]

Never eat overnight or leftover food just to save a few dollars a day

Eat food fresh and hot ... after a while most nutrients will be gone (food oxidation)

You ARE what you EAT !!!

[Douk]

Do you really want to live till 100? From the 80s onwards, all of your body systems are in decline already. You cannot prevent it happening and you have not much of control over it. There is only so much you can achieve by carefully controlling your diet. There are so many external factors in the environment that can undo all the benefits. Even the air you breathe has carcinogens.

Children are eating the same food we bought. It is not about buying good nutritious food for ourselves, it is also for the children.

[chiaberry]

Children are eating the same food we bought. It is not about buying good nutritious food for ourselves, it is also for the children.

That's true. But by the time they are in Pri sch, they will be partaking of tuck shop food. Do you think the sch canteens are going to be providing yr darlings with the best and healthiest ingredients? They are likely to use the cheapest that they can get as their margins are not so high.

We should be frugal and trim down the household budget but within SENSIBLE limits. There are reasonable choices to be made on a budget. For example, Giant sells many of their veggies from Malaysia and the prices are reasonable. Don't have to resort to buying China imported stuff. If you home cook the majority of your meals and hardly eat outside, you will have control of what you put in and you surely will not put in palm oil/MSG/preservatives, etc etc. In Singapore, I believe the AVA does a decent job of ensuring that the imported food (meat/fish/veggies) are not grossly unsafe for human consumption no matter where they come from.

[Arcachon]

Never eat overnight or leftover food just to save a few dollars a day

Eat food fresh and hot ... after a while most nutrients will be gone (food oxidation)

You ARE what you EAT !!!

A cow eat grass, can a man eat grass?

[stl67]

Agree. MODERATION is key in everything in life. Eat a bit of the good. Eat a bit of the junk. Live happy. Die satisfied and not a ghost hungry for kfc...

yah agree my eating habit is like that.. sometime i overeat it..so next day make sure I go jogging.. now already >40 yrs old. still can run 7km easily.

[carbuncle]

yah agree my eating habit is like that.. sometime i overeat it..so next day make sure I go jogging.. now already >40 yrs old. still can run 7km easily.

So ft... R u sngle? Wakakakakaka

[carbuncle]

A cow eat grass, can a man eat grass?

No they smke grss

[stl67]

So ft... R u sngle? Wakakakakaka

wah i got many kids...>4

[carbuncle]

wah i got many kids...>4

Ok no chnce liao

[gn108]

can't even do 700m before the chest tightens up...

yah agree my eating habit is like that.. sometime i overeat it..so next day make sure I go jogging.. now already >40 yrs old. still can run 7km easily.

[carbuncle]

can't even do 700m before the chest tightens up...

I cycle 8 miles + stepper 3km + brisk walk 3km twice weekly and i have heart disease....

[teddybear]

Wah! You deep sea fisher? Where to fish?

We are better then, we only eat deep sea fish caught by ourselves.

[Laguna]

Wah! You deep sea fisher? Where to fish?

mainly Malaysia
got lots of good catch lately...
superb good fish

[Reisor]

First post (after reading for 1-2 years)

-Holding HDB EA D14 with outstanding Mortgage of 200k at 1.4k / mth but currently rented out for 2.5k/mth. Est valuation ~630k
-Bought in 2010 FH PC D19 and own stay, ~$3.6k/mth for 1m mortgage. Last transacted in same estate end 2011 at $200psf higher than my purchase.

Was Dual Income No Kid (DINK) ~ 12+k / mth
Now Single income two kids (SITK) ~ 8+ k / mth due to wife taking care of kids

Foresee cash flow problem due to Single income, insufficient CPF reserve for mortgage payment, heavier expenses for increased household expenditure.

Asking Guru here for sound advice:
1. Am I over leveraged on loan?
2. If have to sell one, which is more advisable under current climate?
3. Any other means beside selling, borrowing from personal contacts? I foresee if able to tide through another 2 years, the cash flow would not be so tight.

Your advice much appreciated.

To all readers and esp. those who have given good sound advice when I posted this several years ago.
I am grateful to all for the advice given and have taken the step back then to bite the bullet and kept both HDB and Pte Apt. The cash flow was tough but not impossible, just need to be vigilant to anticipate the need along the way.

I have since moved on because my Pte Apt was enbloc in 2017 (a very lucky timing too).
I paid 7% ABSD after purchasing a resale Pte Apt in the East.
However, I sold the HDB recently as well. A tough decision but went ahead due in part to end of tenancy, refund of ABSD (90k+) & most significantly because the unit has slightly less than 70 years left and will be even more difficult to move if it reaches 60 years lease (remember the words of MND minister).

In terms of financial obligations, we have no mortgages as current place is paid up. I am half a century this year.
Taking advice from the wise cbsh, we kept most of the returned funds in CPF to take advantage of their interest rate.
Personally, have no time and luck with equity investment thus far. Properties have been the most profitable since the 1st BTO purchase.

I shared this in the hope that those are still trying to do investment can learn something here.
I have also heard comments from younger colleagues about "being born at the wrong time"....."things were cheaper then".... and that boils down to some fundamentals about ourselves.... what we want and do we want it enough to work for it.

Thank you all for reading esp. those who gave the advice then. Good luck everyone.